Why Aren’t We Talking About Affordability?
1930’s Duplex in Coronado Historic District. Photo Attributed to Wikimedia Commons.
A Conversation That’s Missing Something
Lately, we’ve been talking a lot about Missing Middle housing, and for good reason. Arizona’s new statewide mandate, House Bill 2721, which takes effect on January 1, 2026, requires cities to update zoning ordinances to allow more attainable housing types such as duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and courtyard apartments.
That’s a good conversation to have. But too often, what’s missing from that conversation is affordability.
It’s not enough to talk about zoning and density without asking who will be able to live in the homes we’re planning to build. Phoenix is growing rapidly, and yes, we need new housing options, but we also need to ensure that this growth doesn’t displace the very people who make our neighborhoods strong, diverse, and alive.
What the Data Shows
The 2021 PlaceEconomics report, Preservation Phoenix Style, tells an important story: although Historic Preservation zoning covers just one percent of Phoenix’s total land area, these neighborhoods are denser, more connected, and economically diverse than most others. Nearly half of households earn under $50,000, and two-thirds of homes are priced between $200,000 and $400,000.
These historic districts, from Garfield and Fairview to Cheery Lynn and Oakland, are living examples of naturally occurring affordable housing. They show that preservation and smart growth can work hand in hand.
Preservation Is a Housing Strategy
Historic districts aren’t about stopping growth; they’re about keeping what already works. Preserving older homes protects the most sustainable form of housing we have - our existing stock. When modest homes are replaced by larger, luxury builds, that attainability is gone for good.
Preservation and reinvestment aren’t barriers to housing; they’re core strategies for maintaining livable, inclusive neighborhoods.
From Compliance to Leadership
Phoenix has done commendable work updating its zoning ordinance to comply with HB 2721 ahead of the 2026 deadline. That progress deserves recognition.
But compliance is only the beginning. The next step is local leadership, finding solutions that allow Phoenix to meet the state mandate while protecting existing housing and neighborhood stability.
The Housing Phoenix Plan, adopted in 2020, set a goal to create or preserve 50,000 housing units by 2030 and called for expanding attainable options and preventing the loss of existing homes. The framework exists, now it’s time to build the tools.
Where Our Conversation Needs to Go: Real Solutions
To meet our housing needs while protecting the character and stability of our neighborhoods, Phoenix must take four focused steps:
Pair Missing Middle with practical tools
Use fee waivers, rehab credits, and small-lot incentives to support adaptive reuse and smaller infill that add housing without displacement.Preserve existing housing
The Housing Phoenix Plan already commits to this, now we can act on it. Strengthen Chapter 8 (Historic Preservation), expand rehab financing, home-repair grants, and demolition deterrence.
Update historic preservation design guidelines
Ensure new infill fits neighborhood scale and character, preserving the human-scale design that defines Phoenix’s historic districts.Adopt a citywide affordability mandate
Every zoning amendment, RFP, or city-owned-land disposition should contribute to measurable affordability outcomes to ensure that growth benefits all Phoenicians.
A Vision for Phoenix
Phoenix has always balanced growth with stewardship. We can meet the intent of the Missing Middle law while protecting the affordability and character that make our neighborhoods strong.
As we build the housing we need for the future, we must take the past with us. Our historic neighborhoods offer real lessons in sustainability, density, and design. Preservation, affordability, and progress aren’t competing goals, they’re complementary solutions.
Read my letter to City of Phoenix Planning and Development Department here.
